Saturday, April 23, 2011

Springtime with Ægir

It is Easter, and as the only brewery with national distribution in Norway, Ægir has made an Easter beer. Last year Ægir's Påskesol (Easter Sun) was a very good lager beer brewed at Ægir. This year Påskesol is brewed for Ægir by a brewery in Belgium.

I searched for Påskesol on tap at various bars in Bergen, but the beer was only available in bottles. But at one bar, Naboen, they had another interesting Ægir beer on tap: Ægir Hefeweizen.

I had a go at this wheat beer. In the glass it was a cloudy beer with some carbonation and a little head. I felt bread, grains and some banana in the nose. In the mouth there was biscuit, bread and banana, while the finish had banana and grains. This was a lovely wheat beer, and I hope it will soon be available in bottles.

What about the Easter beer then? Well, I have tried it several times at home in bottles. It is a nice lager, but nowhere as good as last year's version. In the nose I felt malts and some citrus, while the mouth was dominated by some fruits and a touch of yeast before a sour finish. Last year an orange taste was present. This year the orange has been toned down. Unfortunately, because this very good beer could have been an excellent one.